When we spoke to clem last year about the future of Linux Mint, he revealed to us that Cinnamon 2.0 would be released with Linux Mint 16 and not use a GNOME backend. The plan was to get the initial release out the door so the team could work on any bugs over the next six months before Ubuntu’s big LTS release and Linux Mint 17.

The settings menu has received visual updates

Cinnamon 2.2 has just been released, and it sees the culmination of this plan. With Ubuntu 14.04 out in only three days, it gives the team a chance to get everything ready for this Ubuntu release and the upcoming Linux Mint 17. The new version of Cinnamon offers many aesthetic and usability upgrades, especially in the settings menu, Screensaver and Power Management and the Hot Corners menu.

Those using Cinnamon will find it being updated in their repos over the next couple of days. To find out more information on the changes, head to clem’s blog on the release.